The First Apocalypse
by The Shadow Incarnate
Summary: The world is at war. Apocalymon and his Four Horsemen command vast armies, and the Sovereigns and Guardians cannot stop them. Desperate, they summon five humans to their world to aid them. This is the tale of the First Five. Witness the birth of legends.
1. The Beginning of All Stories

**The Beginning of All Stories**

All stories have a beginning, and all stories have an end. All but one. Some stories are beginnings, and some are endings, but only one has no beginning. That story plays itself out in a billion trillion ways in a million billion worlds. The worlds have always existed, and so the story has no beginning, only smaller beginnings to smaller stories.

But the story does have an End.

The story of the End will soon begin, and all the Mighty Ones know this. Great powers now rise from the depths of time, and ancient and terrible forces stir from their timeless slumber. Armies gather themselves, vast hosts literally beyond imagining marshalling for battle. The Powers of Creation now take a direct hand in mortal affairs, and even the One now arrays Himself for war.

And deep within his prison, the Enemy stirs. He knows his time will soon come. He will be free, and his war will shatter Creation. The Enemy knows his own power, knows that even the One, with all His infinite might, cannot stand against him. His victory will be eternal, and Evil will reign forever. All stories will end, forever.

But they don't have to end.

Hope is never lost; Evil need not win. Though even the endless power of the One cannot stop Evil, the story need not end. Even now, the Powers of Creation have Chosen their standard-bearers; the Light and the Dark have selected their Champions. Upon them is placed the fate of all; everything that was, everything that is, and everything that is to come depends on them.

But this is not their story. Their story has not yet begun. This story is a beginning to many stories. This is the story of the First Five, of their travails against their Enemy. This is the story of their pain, of the death and destruction they encountered in a Digital World of war.

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A/N: Thus begins the story of _The First Apocalypse_, the first installment in the Armageddon War Saga. Please note that this saga has no connection with the Shadows of the Apocalypse trilogy. I hope you enjoy this story, and remember to review.


	2. Prologue: War and Storytelling

Author's note: I apologize in advance for the relatively poor quality of this chapter. I wrote this two or three years ago, and right now I simply don't have the willpower or the time to rewrite the entire thing. If you will forgive me that, I would be most appreciative.

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**Prologue: War and Storytelling**

Pagumon's day had been going so well. He had been playing soccer with his friends (his team, of course, was winning), having a good time, and then all these Digimon had run by in a panic, shouting crazy things. One was screaming something about a huge army; another had nearly succumbed to apoplexy and was babbling something about the return of the Dark Masters. One, a duck-like Digimon that Pagumon didn't know, stopped to screech out, "It's all over, we're all going to _diiieeee_," and was promptly stomped, stepped-on, crushed, pulverized, and trampled by the flood of Digimon coming behind him. Pagumon and his friends just watched with wide eyes and open mouths as the river of hysterical Digimon flowed on by, then lessened to a trickle, and then ended. The In-Training Digimon sat there in shock, not quite believing their eyes, as the duck-like Digimon stood up, dusted itself off, and just waddled off as though nothing had happened. The eight Digimon would have kept sitting there, but a shadow passed over them, and their reverie broke as they looked up. Terror overcame shock.

MetalSeadramon traversed the sky above them. Pagumon began to tremble, and out of the corners of his eyes, he saw that his friends, a Koromon, a Shaomon, two Motimon brothers, and three Yokomon sisters, were also caught in the depths of their fear. All were rooted to the ground in terror as the immense and powerful Digimon soared overhead. Even through his fear, however, Pagumon managed to keep the presence of mind to notice smaller details: there was a tiny black thing flying next to MetalSeadramon. Pagumon reminded himself that it was tiny only in comparison to MetalSeadramon; the Digimon was as big as an Angemon. Pagumon squinted in an attempt to get a better look at the Digimon. The fear surged through him again, and he wished he hadn't looked.

It was BlackWarGreymon.

The saurian Digimon and MetalSeadramon stopped in midair, and MetalSeadramon raised his head and proclaimed in a loud voice, "We came not to destroy nor to conquer, but to make an alliance with this city. We came in peace, and yet, when we attempted to talk with your leader, we were attacked! The Digimon Emperor does not desire your deaths, but you forfeited all right to his mercy when you attacked him! You stand now in a city of the damned, and upwind of death! In recompense for your actions, the Digimon Emperor has decreed that this city be utterly destroyed! River of Power!"

Blue death exploded from MetalSeadramon's nose. An arc of destruction spread across the city as he moved his head from right to left. The ground rumbled from the explosions and concussive waves pounded the air.

BlackWarGreymon took that as his cue, and he flew high into the air and called power unto himself as he yelled, "Terra Destroyer!" A massive ball of negative energy formed above and between his hands, and he threw the power at the ground. It struck about twenty blocks away from Pagumon's group, but such was the force of the explosion that the In-Training Digimon were thrown back nearly a hundred yards.

They landed on a sidewalk that was very soft. Pagumon groaned in pain. He was battered, bruised and burned all over his body. He was lying on his face in what seemed to be…feathers? The sidewalk he landed on moved, and he and his friends rolled off onto a concrete sidewalk. As it turned out, the eight friends had landed on the very same duck Digimon that had been trampled by panicking Digimon. Pagumon heard the Digimon grumbling under its breath as it walked off about its luck and complaining about its life in general, but Pagumon was too tired to care. He tried to get up, and managed it, to his surprise. He looked at his friends and saw that they were in as bad a shape as he himself was. Shaomon was on his feet, but they were shaking, and he looked like he was about to collapse at any second. One of the Motimon brothers was helping Koromon up, and the other was helping one of the Yokomon triplets up. Another of the triplets was sitting on the ground, trying to catch her breath, but when Pagumon looked to the third sister, his heart plummeted.

One of the sisters laid on the ground, eyes closed. There were bruises and scuffmarks all over her body, and her face was blackened from the heat of the explosion. It was her shimmering form, however, that brought despair to Pagumon.

Pagumon yelled out, "Yokomon," and hopped over to her, tears in his eyes. His shout drew his friends' attention, and they dragged themselves over to the fallen Yokomon. Tears came to the eyes of all the Digimon, their throats were closed and hurt, and there was an ache, a physical pain, deep inside them. They stood over their fallen friend, whispering encouragement to her. "Don't give up. You'll get through this," one of her sisters said. Pagumon knew it was hopeless. Little black flecks of data were already beginning to detach from Yokomon's body. He began to sob, hating himself for being so powerless, for being unable to help his friend.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, something hit Pagumon, and he was rolled away from Yokomon. He came to a stop, and to his amazement, he was healed. The bruises and burns were gone, and he felt like he could hop from Server to the other side of Folder. Surprise etched onto his face, he looked back toward Yokomon.

Standing over her were two small Digimon; one looked like an old man wearing a burlap sack with holes cut for his arms and head. He had hair that covered his face, a beard that came halfway down his chest, hairy feet, and a broom with a cat's paw in place of bristles. The other was an old woman wearing what looked like a Native American ceremonial dress; her hair covered her eyes. They were both standing over Yokomon; they were holding their brooms with one hand, slung over their shoulders. Each had the other hand pointing at Yokomon with an open palm. White light emanated from their palms, forming into tendrils, some of which grabbed at the detached flecks of data and placing them back onto, or perhaps into Yokomon. The other tendrils caressed Yokomon's injuries, and where they touched, burns, bruises and scuff marks vanished.

So engrossed was Pagumon in watching this that he failed to notice that his other friends were no longer standing next to Yokomon. They too had been knocked away from Yokomon; their wounds, like Pagumon's, were also gone.

Finally, the tendrils retreated from Yokomon; the white light died, and the two Digimon lowered their hands. Yokomon sat up and blinked her eyes. Tears of joy now falling from his eyes, Pagumon hopped to Yokomon. All of them converged on her at once, not even caring that two powerful Digimon were standing next to her. They laughed and cried and hugged each other. One of the Yokomon sisters looked at the two Digimon, tears in her eyes, and said in a faint voice, "Thank you. I don't know how to thank you."

The old male Digimon growled and said, "You can thank me by getting into this alleyway. Or have you forgotten that there's a battle going on around you?"

The young Digimon were silenced, and realized that explosions were going off across the city. They looked up.

BlackWarGreymon and MetalSeadramon were almost directly above them, facing in opposite directions. BlackWarGreymon's arms were thrust out, and in each palm was a ball of green energy. "War Blaster," he cried. Hundreds of bolts of green energy rained down from his hands, falling from the sky like hail, igniting innumerable fires throughout the city. MetalSeadramon opened his mouth and shouted, "Energy Blast!" Fire streamed from his mouth, immolating entire neighborhoods.

"What are you waiting for? Get into the alley now!" The old woman spoke. Both of them started using their brooms to herd the young Digimon into the alleyway. Pagumon and his friends let themselves be herded into the alley. When they and the two Digimon were in the alley, Pagumon, suspicious of their motives, asked the old Digimon, "Who are you? Why did you help Yokomon?"

The couple ignored him and stood side by side. As one, they tapped their brooms on the ground. A nearly transparent dome appeared around all of them. As soon as it appeared, the couple looked at Pagumon with annoyed expressions.

The old woman, irritation in her voice, said, "Our motive? Our _motive_ was to save your ungrateful hide, that's what it was! We heal you and save your friend from deletion, and this is the thanks we get?!"

"Calm down, dear. They're young and stupid, just like the rest of the Digimon in this city." The old half-sized man looked up as a rain of destruction leapt up from the doomed city toward the two Mega Digimon. Being so high up, MetalSeadramon and BlackWarGreymon had plenty of time to evade the attacks. He looked down at the eight small Digimon. "I'm Jijimon, this is Babamon, and whoever attacked them just doomed us all."

He was right. MetalSeadramon raised his head to the sky and shouted, "All servants of the Digimon Emperor gather now unto me!" Thirteen Digimon streaked across the sky to join MetalSeadramon and BlackWarGreymon, and for the first time in Pagumon's life, he knew despair. Piedmon, Valkyrimon, HerculesKabuterimon, Murmuxmon, Varodurumon, UlforceVeedramon, Onismon, Darkdramon, Crusadermon, and Lucemon joined MetalSeadramon and BlackWarGreymon in the air. HiAndromon rode upon the back of Varodurumon, Raidenmon was carried by Onismon and HerculesKabuterimon and then dropped to the ground, while Crusadermon, Piedmon, and Darkdramon carried Chaosdramon into battle and dropped him beside Raidenmon. Screams resounded throughout the city as the Digimon simply floated there for a moment, letting the terror grow in the city below, and then Piedmon flew a bit higher, above the others. The demon clown gave a small smile, and in a soft voice that somehow echoed across the city, said, "The Digimon Emperor offers you one last chance of surrender. You will be relocated and your city will be destroyed, but you will live. What is your answer?"

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, from the forest adjacent to the city, the master of the city, the lord of all insect Digimon, and the terror of the night came forth to challenge the power arrayed against his domain. TyrantKabuterimon came forth in all his power, a great host of insect Digimon behind him. As the Lord of Insects, it was within his power to control all insect Digimon, and he called forth all his brethren from within the city that had not been deleted to his side. Before the fifteen Mega Digimon he arrayed a mighty host, thousands upon thousands of bugs flocking to the banner of their lord; in that host were Kuwagamon, Snimon, Kabuterimon, Waspmon, Flymon, BladeKuwagamon, Stingmon, and Yanmamon in their thousands. In addition, there were Cannonbeemon, Dinobeemon, MegaKabuterimon, and Okuwamon in their dozens. TyrantKabuterimon arrayed his mighty force behind him not through words but through the sheer strength of his will.

Lucemon, supreme commander of the forces of the Emperor, addressed the tyrant insect. "What is your answer, TyrantKabuterimon? Will you surrender to the Digimon Emperor, or will you stand against his inexorable might?"

The Insect King ignored the mighty angel and instead addressed HerculesKabuterimon. "Your mind is blocked to me. I cannot enter into it as I can with all other insect Digimon. Why?" His voice was deep, and as strong as the mountains, and it rang out with a metallic quality.

HerculesKabuterimon gave the king what passed for a smile among his race. "My Emperor protects me from those such as you."

"Enough," said Piedmon. "TyrantKabuterimon, why not join us? Why not serve the Digimon Emperor? Here, you rule only insect Digimon. Serve him, and he will grant you unimaginable power, power such as you have never dreamed of in all your life. Serve the Emperor, and we will leave your city in peace. You have the chance to be a part of an enterprise such as none the Digital World has ever seen. Join us, serve the Emperor, and you will live to see both worlds united under the banner of the Digimon Emperor, under the banner of the greatest power in the world."

Rage twisted TyrantKabuterimon's face. "Serve the Digimon Emperor? A _human_? I am the Lord of All Insects! Behold our power!" His host unleashed its power upon the gathered Mega Digimon. Beams and balls of energy of all shapes, colors and sizes leapt from the assembled host to the Mega Digimon; those that lacked a long-range attack rushed forward to deliver their personal brand of destruction to the Mega Digimon. It was to no avail.

Valkyrimon simply nodded to Varodurumon. HiAndromon leapt from the holy bird's back to HerculesKabuterimon as Varodurumon moved to the fore of the group. Her glowing wings grew in brilliance as she shouted, "Purge Shine!" Invisible to the attacking Digimon, a shield spread out to cover all the Mega Digimon, even those on the ground. The shield, completely impervious to evil attacks, would not have held against the attacking Digimon had they not been driven by TyrantKabuterimon to attack. The long-range attacks struck the shield all at one point and failed to penetrate. An enormous explosion erupted forth from the shield, and the Digimon with short-range attacks waited for the massive fireball to die out. The fire ceased, leaving only smoke behind, and they flew into the gigantic cloud of smoke to deliver their attacks, hundreds of Digimon attacking all at once.

At the distance they were at, the ten thousand Digimon and their master were unable to discern anything within the utter darkness that obscured the Mega Digimon. The wind changed, the smoke cloud was blown away, and Pagumon, cowering below, beheld a terrible sight.

The hundreds upon hundreds of Digimon that had issued forth at the bidding of their master were gone. Black flecks, the last remnants of their data, still hung in the air in a few places, and then they too were gone, back to Primary Village to be reborn in the unending cycle of a Digimon's life. None of the assembled Mega Digimon had been hurt at all.

Piedmon floated beyond Varodurumon's shield. He held a sword in each hand; there was a smile on his face. "You and your servants have forfeited your lives. You are all hereby sentenced to immediate deletion. You, TyrantKabuterimon, are to be deleted and your Digi-Egg destroyed for resisting the Emperor. The rest of the city will be spared as long as they do not resist, but you, my metal friend, are doomed." He turned and looked over at MetalSeadramon and said, "Let's go. It's bug-hunting season"

MetalSeadramon smiled. "Gladly."

Piedmon shot into the midst of the Digimon, cutting, thrusting, and slicing indiscriminately among the bug army. MetalSeadramon followed him, blue light arcing out into the enemy.

Valkyrimon turned to Varodurumon when Piedmon started speaking and said, "Protect the city with your shield." When Piedmon and MetalSeadramon flew to attack the bug army he cried out, "Royal Knights, attack!" Valkyrimon, HerculesKabuterimon with HiAndromon upon him, Murmuxmon, UlforceVeedramon, Onismon and Darkdramon essayed forth to assail the insect host while Raidenmon and Chaosdramon, being land bound, began to attack. Raidenmon shouted, "God Bombard!" Missiles from his back blasted into the army and wrought havoc upon the insects. Chaosdramon's Hyper Cannons fired energy blasts continuously, each shot taking out several Digimon at once.

Not to be outdone, Lucemon ordered his generals, BlackWarGreymon and Crusadermon, to issue forth to attack the enemy. Just as he gave the order however, the Royal Knights began to attack, and it seemed to Pagumon that the gates of hell had been opened.

Valkyrimon shouted out, "Punishing Storm!" Lightning bolts fell from the sky, dozens every second. Every single one struck a Digimon; every single one deleted a Digimon.

From upon HerculesKabuterimon, HiAndromon crossed his arms over his chest and gathered his power. Beneath his arms, a light began to gather in the nuclear reactor that powered him. The power grew, pulsed, until HiAndromon could no longer contain it. He threw wide his arms and said, "Atomic Ray!" The hatch covering the reactor slid away, and the power erupted in a beam of pure energy. HiAndromon swept it back and forth, making sure that the beam struck as many Digimon as possible.

HerculesKabuterimon, meanwhile, was shouting, "Mega Electro Shocker" as often as he could, sending the massive lances of energy flying in every direction.

UlforceVeedramon put his speed to good use. He zipped among the insect Digimon, never appearing in the same area twice. He failed to delete a great number of Digimon, but then, he didn't need to; the chaos he sowed among the ranks more than made up for it.

Onismon, the great dark bird, sneered at the two hundred Digimon gathered against him. Normally, two hundred Champion-level Digimon would have given almost any Digimon pause, but Onismon had a trick up his feathers, so to speak. He combined his attacks, Cosmic Ray and Tempest, into one mighty attack: "Cosmic Tempest!" He flapped his mighty wings, and great tornadoes spawned from beneath the vast wings and raged toward the Digimon. Dark lightning erupted from his wings and spiraled around the tornadoes, increasing their destructive power tenfold.

TyrantKabuterimon decided to concentrate his forces upon one Digimon. Murmuxmon gave an evil grin as hundreds upon hundreds of Snimon, Kuwagamon, and Kabuterimon broke away from the main host, intertwining together into a single, huge tentacle that thrust straight for the hellish Digimon. Still with a grin upon his face, he watched as the horde came within a thousand feet of him…nine hundred…eight hundred….When the mass came within five hundred feet of him, he raised his hands, palms out, so that they pointed toward the bugs. When the bugs reached the three hundred-foot mark, Murmuxmon shouted, "Gehenna Flame!" The fires of hell leapt from his hands, living fire from the pit eager for souls to devour. Pagumon, far away from Murmuxmon, felt the heat of the flames issuing from the demon's hands. The insect Digimon saw the onrushing flames and tried to escape, but such was not to be their fate. Hellfire washed over them, annihilating their bodies, consuming their souls, destroying them forever. Pagumon watched in horror from behind Jijimon and Babamon's shield; he knew the legends Murmuxmon's power. Murmuxmon's fire, if it destroyed the Digimon, had the same effect as breaking a Digi-Egg: the Digimon was gone forever. It would never be reborn within Primary Village, would never again walk the world. Murmuxmon's Gehenna Flame was death, and it came to every single one of the Digimon that TyrantKabuterimon sent against him.

Alone of the Royal Knights, Darkdramon held back a bit, just beyond the shield. His eyes scoured the horde, searching out the densest concentration of enemies. He found it: TyrantKabuterimon had gathered over a thousand Digimon around him, shields to block the inexorable power of the Mega Digimon. Darkdramon saw that TyrantKabuterimon was gathering his power for an attack upon Varodurumon, and he decided that it might be better for his continued existence if he moved. He flew with all speed straight down, among the rubble of destroyed buildings and between buildings that still stood, dodging missed Mega Electro Shockers and trying to keep from being blown away by Onismon's tornadoes. He had observed that TyrantKabuterimon had kept nearly half the Digimon behind him, since all the Mega Digimon were behind him. Darkdramon thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye; when he turned, he saw a Jijimon and a Babamon standing in an alley with a group of In-Training Digimon. He smirked at them and reminded himself to tell Valkyrimon and the generals about them, and then he moved on.

Pagumon felt the fear rolling off his friends in waves when the winged monster looked at them. He looked over at Jijimon and Babamon, and saw that they were scowling at Darkdramon. His gaze returned to Darkdramon, but he had already disappeared between buildings. He looked back up, and he cried out in fear. One of HerculesKabuterimon's Mega Electro Shockers had been randomly fired, and it had struck the shield. All Pagumon saw when he looked up was a purple wall of destructive power filling the sky as it struck Jijimon's shield. The energy washed over the shield and dissipated, but Pagumon and his friends still trembled.

The battle continued above while Darkdramon sneaked over to the side where he could get a perfect shot. Finally, he found it: in between two buildings in an alley that he could barely fit into about one-half mile from TyrantKabuterimon. He rose until his head barely came above the top of the buildings. He pointed his head at the massive concentration of bugs behind TyrantKabuterimon and shouted, "Inferno Fire Blast!" Fire wreathed in black lightning roared from Darkdramon's mouth in a river fifty yards wide to consume the Digimon guarding the tyrant bug's back. The lightning-wrapped inferno blasted a hole in the formation of Digimon, and over a thousand Digimon were consumed instantly. The blast nearly struck Piedmon, who had not seen Darkdramon on the ground. He had been about to charge into the roiling mass of insects, having already deleted hundreds of the things already. He gave Darkdramon an evil look, and the winged dragon Digimon gulped, knowing Piedmon would, in time, exact retribution.

Having made his stately way into the fray, Lucemon hovered in the midst of the carnage, his eyes closed and his hands lying at his side. He raised his head to the sky and spread his arms wide. Light came from his skin and twisted around him as the air hummed. Slowly, he opened his eyes. A wall of enemies tore through the air toward him. Lucemon brought his hands together in front of him and said, "Grand Cross." A facsimile of the solar system aligned into a cross before him, and Lucemon released the power. The cross blasted toward his enemies, pushed onward by a beam of pure force emanating from Lucemon's hands. The insects never had a chance.

So went the battle against TyrantKabuterimon. Jijimon and Babamon weren't surprised at the outcome; no mortal power in the world could stand against the Emperor's forces. Ten thousand bugs were nothing next to the power of the fifteen Mega Digimon that the Emperor had called forth. What surprised them was the fact that the Emperor himself had not come forth. It would have been an amazing sight to everyone in the city, seeing a human child floating in the air, ten thousand insect Digimon rushing at him. He could have put on a show that would cow even TyrantKabuterimon into submission. Of course, sending a five million Digimon army in to conquer the city would have much the same effect. Why didn't he do that? Why send his generals, Knights, and _partners_ into a situation where they could be deleted? It made no sense!

Then Jijimon and Babamon got their answer.

Piedmon withdrew his sword from a Yanmamon and turned his attention to TyrantKabuterimon. He still had a thousand Digimon swirling around him; the rest were fighting the Emperor's servants. Piedmon saw an opening in the swarm, and he took his chance. He shot toward Tyrant Kabuterimon, held his swords out to impale the disgusting vermin. Closer, closer, he was through! And now to—

"Shine of Bee!" TyrantKabuterimon's shout tore the attention of the Mega Digimon away from their battles for a moment. Fire exploded outward in every direction from TyrantKabuterimon's body. Flames rushed toward Piedmon. Roiling vortices of flame shot out, licking the air. Piedmon tried to move, but he wasn't fast enough.

"ENOUGH." The word fell upon the city as a thunderous blast of sound. The Mega Digimon reeled in shock, and the hordes of insects trembled from the sheer ecstasy of pain. TyrantKabuterimon trembled in fear, for he knew the voice. Piedmon quivered in rapture as the fire racing toward him simply ceased to exist.

The mighty voice spoke again. "THERE WILL BE NO MORE CONFLICT WITH THE INSECT KING. I COMMAND MY FORCES TO DESCEND TO THE ROOFTOPS." Slowly, the thirteen airborne servants lowered themselves and alighted upon the rooftops. A breeze came from nowhere, summoned by the power of the Emperor to reveal the carnage.

Where ten thousand Digimon had once flown, little more than a thousand now floated. The Mega Digimon had decimated an army of ten thousand in just a few minutes with nary a wound to show for it. Pagumon gulped. TyrantKabuterimon's power had been defeated by a _voice_. Things were not going well.

Again, the voice spoke. "I OFFER YOU ONE LAST CHANCE TO SERVE ME. IF YOU REFUSE, I OFFER NO MORE MERCY. YOU WILL DIE. SERVE ME, AND KNOW POWER SUCH AS YOU HAVE NEVER IMAGINED. REFUSE AND YOU DIE AN EVERLASTING DEATH. MAKE YOUR CHOICE."

Any other being in the two worlds would have accepted the truly generous offer, but TyrantKabuterimon had existed for a thousand years as the King of all Insects. So strong had his pride grown that he was unable to _conceive_ of serving another, and so his doom was ordained long before he uttered the words, "Never! I will never serve anyone but myself so long as my life endures!"

"YOUR LIFE SHALL NOT ENDURE." There was a tremendous sigh, and in a tone of supreme sadness, the voice said, "YOU HAVE CHOSEN YOUR OWN DOOM. I HAVE SPOKEN. LET IT BE DONE."

A flash came from beyond the city, and then light roared toward TyrantKabuterimon, a flood of power wider than nations and higher than mountains. It illuminated the world for uncounted miles in every direction and melted the earth as far as the eye could see. The sun paled to insignificance in the face of the matchless power of the lord of hosts, of the self-proclaimed King above all kings and the Lord of the world. Shadow fled from the glory of his power, and even the Sovereigns in their hiding places trembled as they sensed the Emperor's unchallengeable power. TyrantKabuterimon and his host stood no chance. The light overtook them, and they were burned out of existence by a power they had never imagined. The Emperor's power raced on, never slowing, never stopping. If not for Varodurumon's shield, the entire city below that flood of light would have melted into the earth, but the shield held. Varodurumon's power, however, was not enough to extend the shield over the entirety of the city; a small neighborhood was left uncovered by the shield, and it was in an alley of this neighborhood that Pagumon and his friends hid with Jijimon and Babamon. The buildings around them felt the full force of that inexorable flood: they melted into the ground, taking with them the lives of any still left inside them. Pagumon, his friends, and his saviors alone survived in the neighborhood. Jijimon and Babamon's shield held against the lava, and a dome formed over their heads, granting them a light by which to see for a time. Still, they could see the light. Even through a dome of molten rock, the Digimon Emperor's power shone through.

Then the light ceased to be, and they were left with only the light of the molten rock above them. Pagumon, through his terror and his hopeless despair, asked, "Jijimon, Babamon, what're we gonna do?"

Jijimon huffed and said, "You, boy, are going to do nothing. Me and Babamon are the ones who're gonna do somethin' around here." He glanced at his wife. She nodded.

They tapped their staves together. Above the shield, lava turned to solid rock, plunging those beneath into total darkness. Another tap and a small ball of light appeared near the top of the dome. It bathed those below in a sickly, pale light, but it was still light.

An uneasy quiet reigned for a moment. Shaomon broke it as he said, "W-What just happened, Jijimon?"

Jijimon didn't answer, but simply stared at the dome as though he could see through it. It was Babamon who answered. "Everyone in your city just became slaves of the Digimon Emperor. _If_ they're lucky. One of 'em might annoy him enough to obliterate this city."

"B-but why w-would he d-do s-something like th-that?"

"He's human, who knows why he does anything?"

Motimon spoke up. "But I thought that that Ken Ichijouji guy was with the DigiDestined now. Why would he do this now? _How _could he do this?"

Jijimon laughed at them. They simply refused to understand. "You really think a _human_ did that? You kids really are stupid."

"Hey," said Yokomon, "just because you saved our lives doesn't mean you can treat us like idiots!"

Babamon snorted and said, "Well, you're sure actin' like idiots. I mean, anyone with half a brain could tell you that no normal human could do what the Emperor just did."

Pagumon furrowed his brow. "Then how did he do it?"

Jijimon half smiled. "He's more powerful than the Sovereigns, more terrible than Daemon, more ancient than the mountains, a greater warrior than Piximon, a better general than Lucemon, and the most implacable foe anyone has ever faced. He's the author of more conquests and more destruction than you could possibly imagine. He's the master of destiny and darkness. Last of the First, he is. He ruled this world once, and now he's going to take back his world."

Pagumon swallowed. Jijimon's tone of resignation terrified him. He spoke as though everything had been foreordained. "How did this happen?"

Jijimon looked at him. "How did it happen? Are you asking for a story, kid?"

Pagumon looked around at his friends, then at the dome of rock above them. "Do we have anything better to do?"

Babamon pursed her lips for a moment. Her husband noticed and said, "Well, he's right, dear. We really don't have anything else to do. Besides, they deserve to know what happened. And, it isn't like there's anyone else who still remembers the story."

Babamon glared at Jijimon. "And what if he finds out that we told? Just because we're the only ones still alive from that time doesn't mean we should go shouting it in the streets. Did you forget what he did to that virus that threatened to post the story on the internet?"

Her husband shuddered. He'd forgotten about Keramon. Better to be dead than suffer what happened to that Digimon. In this case, however, Jijimon thought Babamon was being unreasonable.

"We're stuck under ten feet of rock and there are—well, there _were_ millions of Digimon in this city, so I don't think we're going to meet up with him. Besides, however mindless these kids may be, I don't think they're that stupid."

"I don't know, they're pretty dumb."

"Hey," they chorused.

Babamon's lips were still pursed as she evaluated the young Digimon. "I guess we can tell them.

Jijimon smiled. "Oh, good, I love telling stories. Well, kids, gather 'round, gather 'round." With that, he sat on the ground, laying his staff across his knees as the young ones hopped and shuffled closer to him. Babamon did the same after a moment.

The old man looked thoughtful for a moment. "Now, where to begin, where to begin?"

"At the beginning, stupid," said Babamon.

Jijimon glared at her. "Sometimes I wonder why I married you."

Shaomon cleared his throat. "Uh, hello, the story?"

"What? Oh, right, right, the story," said Jijimon. "Now, where was I…?"

Koromon leaned toward one of the Yokomon sisters and whispered, "I think there's something wrong with these two."

"Shhh, he's started."

Jijimon assumed a deeper voice, his words echoing slightly in the small space. His words caught Pagumon and his friends up and sent them into world of imagination.

"Well, it all started five thousand, seven hundred and seventy-six years ago, when the Enemy first began his assault on this world. It was a time of darkness, of war and death and destruction. It was a time of turmoil such as the Digital World had never seen. The Enemy's armies were everywhere, and every day was a battle for survival. Chaos ruled. All seemed lost to us. It seemed as though everything would fall to the Enemy."

"I've never heard of the Enemy," said Pagumon. "Who was he?"

"Oh, you've heard of him, Pagumon. You've just never heard him called the Enemy. Yes, child, you have indeed heard of him."

Silence reigned for a moment. Then, after looking around for a moment, Pagumon asked, "Well, who was he?"

Jijimon smiled. "Apocalymon."

* * *

Author's Note: Are you confused? If you're not, then you are clairvoyant and have already divined my intentions for the series. I will simply say that this scene takes place during the fic _Digital World of War_. I know that that doesn't really help, but if I told you any more, I'd ruin the entire thing. Next chapter won't come out for a while, I don't think, so stay cool! As I said above, I apologize for the low quality of the writing, and as always, please review.


	3. Ch 1: Hope Restored

**Ch. 1: Hope Restored**

**August 1, 1995**

When his monitor leapt a full foot into the air, Gennai decided that it was time to go.

The castle continued to shake and creak and rumble. Dust trickled from the ceiling far above. The lights flickered as the explosions began interrupting the power supply. Gennai typed furiously. Lines of computer code seemed to flash into being on the screen before him. He knew exactly what he was typing; many were the years that had been devoted to the development of this code. He was so close…there! He finished inputting the lines that locked in the evolutionary lines and confined the transference of energy to only a single, bonded pair, saved it, and withdrew the disc containing the finished code.

While he still had time, he opened a line to the garrison's commanding officer. He waited through the seven seconds in which the receiving computer verified Gennai's identity, summoned the commander, and sent its own request for verification, which was promptly granted. The commander's face appeared onscreen.

It always disconcerted Gennai to look upon that visage. With hair like gold and sapphire-blue eyes, the commander's face was beautiful. In many ways, he looked like nothing more than a human boy. A tattoo of sinuous, swirling black lines dispelled that notion; if the tattoo had not, certainly the two little wings poking out of his hair just above his ears surely would have done the trick. Those odd features did not cause Gennai's disconcertion. His long years had brought him into contact with entities that made the commander seem as nothing. No, oddity did not discomfit Gennai.

"How may I serve you, Master Gennai?" Each word emerged from those lips one by one; each was carefully enunciated and pitched low. The boy's face displayed serenity and a confidence that did not belong on a child. Ageless wisdom juxtaposed with naïveté on that countenance. It was almost perverted, to see an adult looking out of that cherubic face.

"Begin retreating from the castle's eastern section, Lord Lucemon. I will then activate the defenses in that section."

"It will not be enough," said Lucemon. "They are too many. Your defenses cannot keep out the foes that stand outside our door."

Gennai's eyes hardened. "It is not for you to question me. Do not presume that you know all there is to know."

"I will not die for you, Gennai. Not here, not now. Nor will I allow those who serve me to die in this place."

"You presume too much, Digimon. You will do as we bid you. Now, begin your retreat."

Lucemon watched Gennai a moment before nodding. The screen blinked off.

"I wonder if it was wise to choose him. He is too headstrong, Gennai; he will not follow our plan much longer."

Gennai spared a glance at the robed man standing in the doorway. "You're wrong, Ianus. So long as we have the power to destroy him, Lucemon will do what we want. Besides, he believes in us."

"Humph. You put too much faith in these Digimon. Sometimes I wonder whether they are even worth the effort we have put into saving their miserable lives."

"Most of them are, Ianus," said Gennai. "Do not let the treachery of some darken your view of the entire race."

"You would know. I will say it again, you have become too close to the Digimon. They are not our people's concern."

"They became our concern when we took this form, and chose to share their fate." Gennai raised a brow. "You chose to be an intermediary, just as I did. Do you intend to break the vows you swore?"

"When I swore those vows, we hadn't been betrayed a million times over."

Gennai shook his head. It wasn't worth arguing with him. "Why are you here, Ianus?"

The robed man cocked his head. "Everything is ready. Are you?"

Gennai smiled and held up the disc for which millions had died. "Whenever you are."

* * *

Lucemon turned off the screen and looked to his aide. "Go to the southeast section and take command of the retreat there. I will take this area."

Silphymon saluted, spun on his heel, and sped out of a door, going further into the castle. Lucemon's lips twitched. The boy was good. He would be extremely powerful if he lived long enough to make it to Mega.

Lucemon turned in the direction opposite that in which Silphymon had gone. The portal before him was composed of two thick metal doors which trembled violently from the shaking of the castle. He palmed the pad on the wall and walked outside. A rush of hot air ruffled his robes as something exploded on the ramparts a hundred feet away, but Lucemon ignored it. He looked over the parapet in front of him.

Lucemon jumped back when a ball of purple energy flew up the wall and nearly hit his face. He held his arm up and shouted, "Divine Feat!" A spear of light manifested in his hand. Leaping over the parapet, Lucemon tossed the spear at his attacker and turned away, the Deltamon already dismissed from his thoughts. He alighted on the wall again and turned to the sound of pattering feet.

The Leomon pressed his fist to his heart in salute and bowed. "Your orders, my lord?"

Lucemon looked out over the castle again, mentally marking the places he was needed. "Begin a fighting retreat into the castle's interior. We are leaving."

When he received no response, Lucemon returned his gaze to the Leomon and saw surprise and hope registering there.

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you have something to say, or do you intend to stand there like an insipid fool?"

Leomon shook himself, blinked three times and said, "No my lord, it's just…I have been fighting in this war for most of my life. We who fight the darkness have been so long without hope that this seems too good to be true."

"It is." Lucemon frowned. "Gennai's plan does not have a hope of succeeding."

"My lord?"

Lucemon looked away. "I aid Gennai because he brings hope to the Digital World. His plan could indeed help us win the war, but we will still lose in the end."

"The Four Horsemen…," mumbled Leomon.

"Are nothing," Lucemon continued. "The true enemy will still remain, and no one can defeat him."

"Then why—" Leomon cut off as a shark-shaped missile roared out of the smoke and headed straight for them.

"Divine Feat!" Lucemon threw the spear of light at the missile. Leomon flinched away from the glare of the explosion, and when it was over Lucemon said, "We have chattered long enough. Spread the word."

Leomon nodded. "To which room should we retreat, my lord?"

"Retreat to the laboratory's anteroom."

Leomon nodded, saluted, and left; Lucemon turned his attention to the siege.

He leapt from the top of the wall and flew into the enormous courtyard below, manifesting another spear of light as he did. A Devidramon swiped at him. Lucemon's parry removed the Devidramon's hand; his riposte deleted it. He threw the spear at a SkullGreymon and summoned another. The thrown spear sliced through SkullGreymon's spine and lodged in a Mephistomon's chest, and both roared in pain before bursting into black flecks of data. Lucemon threw his other spear at a Pharaohmon walking through the castle's gates. The Mega saw the attack coming and ducked into its sarcophagus, hoping to use it as a shield, but Lucemon's attack blew apart the sarcophagus. More of the Enemy's army flooded through the gates. Lucemon turned to them, spread his arms and began to glow.

"Grand Cross!" The light around him coalesced into ten balls of light in front of him. Those ten balls became images of the planets and the sun, forming into a cross shape before Lucemon unleashed the attack. It leapt forward, sending sprays of dirt and dust into the air as it blew through the entryway. The invading hordes exploded into data as the attack continued on, pushing into and through the ranks of the army. Lucemon saw it explode somewhere deep inside the enemy's ranks, but he ignored it. His opening volleys had allowed several of his Digimon to break away from the engagement; they managed to get the gates closed and barred before any more enemy soldiers made it through. Lucemon turned back to the engagement in the courtyard.

"Touch of Evil!" A hand shot toward Lucemon's face. Lucemon sidestepped the blow and grabbed the Devimon's arm. With strength far beyond what his body should contain, he threw the Devimon at one of the walls. It struck head-first. Devimon's neck cracked loudly, and his head lolled drunkenly at unnatural angles before he deleted. Lucemon manifested a spear of light in each hand. He threw the one in his left hand at an Orochimon; he did not release the other.

The fighting in the courtyard was now taking place in small pockets, and Lucemon went for the closest. In the center of the courtyard, a LadyDevimon held off a Monzaemon, a Mamemon, and a Hippogryphomon. As Lucemon approached, Monzaemon cried, "Hearts Attack," and fired pink energy hearts at LadyDevimon. She ducked, dodging a punch from Mamemon, and roundhouse kicked Mamemon. LadyDevimon ignored the rotund Digimon as it fell to the ground and spun around to face Monzaemon. She threw out her hands. "Darkness Wave!" Hundreds of bats tore through Monzaemon's attack and then began tearing at the giant bear himself, biting off small pieces as Monzaemon flailed around in a desperate attempt to stop the small, stinging attacks. LadyDevimon grinned her evil grin, but she stopped when something hit her in the back, knocking her through the air and digging up a half-ton of earth when she skidded across the ground. She struggled to get up, her back badly burned by the attack. She managed, though, and threw a hate-filled look at Hippogryphomon, from whom the attack had come. She saw Mamemon beginning to get up, and then she saw nothing at all as Lucemon removed her head with a single swipe. The bats snipping at Monzaemon vanished, and Lucemon ordered the three Ultimates to begin the retreat.

Lucemon never stopped, fighting and organizing the retreat as the armies of darkness came ever closer.

* * *

Gennai followed Ianus down one of the castle's corridors. He held the disc in a slip-case in his right hand. The bare stone floor sloped downward slightly. Lights had been set in the walls at regular intervals to provide illumination. Every so often, Gennai or Ianus would stop at a keypad that seemed to have been placed randomly in the wall. One of them would key some numbers in, and then they would walk on as though they hadn't stopped in the first place. Soft whirs and rumbles came from the walls when they did this, but neither Gennai nor Ianus paid attention to the sounds. They walked in silence, the sound of their footsteps the only accompaniment to their steady pace. The corridor terminated at a large hole, with steps leading down into a dark pit. Gennai went first and Ianus followed. The silence continued as they went down the spiraling steps slowly. Down, down, down into the earth they went. It seemed like it hours before they saw the bottom, but time does odd things like that when one is bored. They were certainly hundreds of feet below ground.

The stairs ended at an archway leading into an enormous cave. Several others were already there, most of them dressed like Gennai and Ianus; only one was a Digimon. At the far end of the cave, two enormous steel doors looked as though they had been built into the rock. Large electronic devices littered the floor, and it was to one of these that Gennai went. The woman standing by it looked up as he approached.

"Do you have it?" Pretty though the woman was, her voice grated with impatience.

Gennai smiled. "Direct as always, Katryna. Yes, I have it." He held up the disc.

"Not all of us have the time to joke around, Gennai," she said. Gennai handed her the disc. She took it out of the case and inserted it into a slot on the machine. Gennai's smile widened a bit when he saw her lips twitch. He glanced at the four devices attached to the machine, and then turned and walked to the Digimon.

He was a small Digimon. He had a round body; his arms and legs were very long relative to his body. Several wings sprouted from his back and he carried a spear nearly twice his size.

"Piximon," said Gennai.

"Gennai," said Piximon. "How goes the war?"

"Lucemon has everything under control up top. We'll have plenty of time to deal with business down here before we have to leave."

Piximon gave him a sardonic look. "That's not what I mean and you know it. I've been out of the loop for four days; how goes the war?"

Gennai frowned and hesitated. "Amaymon just took File Island."

Piximon's eyes widened. "And Primary Village?"

"It's fine. Amaymon doesn't dare touch the village; his own soldiers would rise up against him. Besides, to him it's the perfect recruiting ground for new soldiers."

Piximon nodded and then said, "How many did you lose there?"

Gennai stared at the floor for a moment. "All of them. We first got the information from a friendly Dolphmon who saw everything. A few informants also managed to get off the island later. The whole contingent is dead." Gennai smiled coldly as he looked up. "Amaymon didn't get the island without a fight, though. Our contingent took out twenty times their own number."

"Humph. Amaymon probably won't even notice the loss."

"They might have held if you had agreed to train them."

"Lucemon is just as good as I am. Have him train your little army; _I _have already agreed on whom I'm to train." With that, Piximon turned and flew over to a corner of the room, where he landed, crossed his arms, and promptly began to nap.

"That one is too arrogant for his own good, Gennai."

Gennai turned to the woman's voice and smiled. "You have another suggestion, then, Lorin?"

Lorin was an older woman, though she wasn't _old_. Silver hair framed a smiling face. Laugh lines surrounded her smiling mouth, and Gennai saw hints of fine lines developing around her eyes, but her exuberance overshadowed those few signs of age.

"We could always use Lucemon to train them," she said.

Gennai sighed. "You know why he can't."

"Yes, yes, I know," she said, rolling her eyes. "He has other 'duties.'"

"Yes," said Gennai. "Like keeping the rest of us from getting killed."

"Well, I guess you can't have everything you want."

Gennai waited, and then said, "Was there a point in you coming over here?"

"Nope. I just felt like bugging you."

Gennai glared.

Lorin ignored it. "Did I mention that everything's ready?"

Now it was Gennai who rolled his eyes. "No, you didn't."

He and Lorin exchanged words as they went to stand with the others. Gennai broke away from her before they reached the others to go stand before a short, square, stone block that sat about fifty feet from the huge steel gate. The twelve others stood side by side in a line located halfway between the block and the gate.

Gennai mentally nodded when he looked at the block. There were eight slots on the top of the block, arranged in two rows of four. The Tags and Crests had sat in their slots for months, but Katryna had just put the Digivices in their slots above the Crests. The strings of the Tags lay in ellipses on the block, each encircling a particular Digivice. There were two hand-shaped slots beneath the Tags about three feet apart.

Gennai took a deep breath and looked at his companions. "It's time."

They nodded as one and turned to the gate. Closing their eyes, they tilted their heads back and bent their elbows until their forearms were perpendicular to their bodies, hands turning up as they began humming.

_This ought to be good_, thought Piximon as he woke for the show.

A soft glow came from their bodies. It started as a simple aura of light that surrounded their bodies, but it became brighter as the humming got louder. Gennai watched and listened as the light cast stark shadows in the corners of the room, as a machine vibrated in resonance to the hum. Whispers came from nowhere as the light seemed to grow and expand into a corporeal thing that encompassed the entire line of people. The whispers coalesced into a single, loud hissing voice.

_"Open the gate."_

The cave rumbled as the gate slid across the rock. Shafts of light shot out of the gate as it inched open. Iron groaned and rock grated, and the gate was open.

* * *

When the stone halls around him shook, Lucemon stopped and looked around. He knew what was happening.

The end game had begun.

* * *

With the light of the gate pouring down on him, Gennai placed his hands in the slots on the stone block and exerted his powers. A nimbus of light sprang up around him as light seeped through conduits in the stone block. The light flowed like water through the channels, connecting each Tag and Crest to its particular Digivice. The Crests began to glow, and Gennai turned his attention to the first set.

_Pride has chosen. Go forth to the one who bears Pride's power._

A beam of light shot from the gate to the Digivice, and when it vanished, the Digivice was gone. Gennai looked to the next set.

_Desire has chosen. Go forth to the one who bears Desire's power._

Another beam came from the gate, and another Digivice disappeared. Gennai went on.

_Tenacity has chosen. Go forth to the one who bears Tenacity's power._

The light came again, and Gennai came to the final set.

_Destiny has chosen. Go forth to the one who bears Destiny's power._

Again the light came, and then it was over. Gennai sagged as his aura of light disappeared. Sweat fell from his brow and his chest heaved. He felt like he just ran a marathon. The cave rumbled as the gate closed. A hand touched his shoulder; he looked up into Katryna's face. She wore a small smile.

"You did it, Gennai. They're coming."

"Yes," Gennai heaved out. "Now all we have to do is survive until they do."

"If you want to do that, I suggest we get out of here," said Piximon as he flapped over to them.

Gennai nodded and said, "Will you deal with the entrance?"

"Of course."

Piximon flew off. Gennai reached for the Crests, but a spasm of pain dropped him to his knees. He gasped and clutched his midsection, but the pain stopped abruptly. Katryna's hands supported him as he rose, and when he looked at her again, she was frowning.

"You taxed your powers too much."

"Yep," Gennai gasped. "I have to admit, though, I didn't think it would be this bad. It'll pass quickly, though."

"Pixi Bomb!" Katryna looked back when Piximon shouted his attack. When she turned back, Gennai was reaching for the Crests with a shaking hand. A tremor rocked the cave, and he missed once before scooping up the Crests. A spray of dust and debris flew by, and Gennai coughed once.

"Can you walk?" asked Katryna.

"Yes. Let's go."

Supported by Katryna, Gennai made his way to a small doorway leading out of the room. His sword lay near several others on the wall beside the door, and he scooped it up as he went through the door.

"That's a good sign," said Katryna.

Gennai furrowed his brows at her. "What is?"

"Just a second ago you could barely stand up. Now you're picking up a sword."

"Huh. I guess you're right."

"You're not limping anymore either."

Gennai looked down. He wasn't. "Wow. That wore off faster than I thought."

Piximon flew up beside them. "Are you two done talking? We've reached the end of this tunnel. Lucemon's already here." He pointed.

Lucemon was indeed there. He stood at a junction from which two other tunnels branched. One tunnel formed an acute angle with the one Gennai was in; the other branched off and went deep into darkness. Rumbles and roars rang from the depths of the tunnel as Lucemon's army retreated. Lucemon stood in repose, head bowed and eyes closed. When Gennai and the other Guardians reached him, he roused from his rest. He waited for the others to pass him before speaking to Gennai. "You were successful?"

"Yes. Our part is done for now." Gennai handed the Tags and Crests to Lucemon. "Now you must do your part."

Lucemon nodded, saying, "Go now. I will slow Hadaramon's forces."

Gennai shook his head. "Do you really have to destroy the cavern? There's so much that's still there..."

"We are at war, Master," Lucemon said. Gennai sighed but conceded the point. "Master Gennai, Mistress Katryna, leave now. I shall be right behind you. Piximon will take command of my army while I am still here." Gennai and Katryna nodded and left; Piximon frowned.

"This better not be for very long," he said.

Lucemon stared at him.

Piximon almost swallowed and said, "Ok, ok, I'll go." And he did.

Lucemon waited for them to get far enough away before turning fully toward the tunnel from which Gennai had emerged. "Grand Cross!" The facsimile of the solar system flew down the tunnel. Lucemon spun to the other tunnel that intersected with Gennai's and shouted "Grand Cross" again. The attack shot away from him. Lucemon took wing, flying down the tunnel through which Gennai had gone. He heard an enormous explosion behind him, and then another. He flew faster. The rough stone sped by him as his toes began heating up. A point of light appeared in the distance and swelled into the exit, and then Lucemon was out. He climbed above the exit, a blast of fire shooting out behind him. He looked down. The tunnel funneled the force of the explosion outward; a mushroom of flames reached out of the tunnel like a demonic hand, consuming everything before it. It shot out for a hundred feet and more before it died out.

Lucemon saw Gennai standing with Katryna several hundred yards away and flew toward them. As he alit next to them, Gennai said, "Very impressive, my lord."

"Thank you. Excellence in all things is always to desired."

Katryna snorted. "Did you ever think you might be too good at blowing things up?"

Lucemon smiled at her. "In war, Mistress, such a thing is not possible." He quickly grew serious. "Gennai, I feel compelled to ask: your DigiDestined cannot defeat Apocalymon. Why are you bringing them here to fight a war they cannot win?"

Gennai waited for a moment before he answered.

"Doom lies upon them, Lucemon. What that doom is, I cannot say. I do know that they cannot defeat the Enemy, yet I also know that if they are not here, Apocalymon will win. What it is about them that can bring us victory, I wish I knew. But I don't. All I can do is bring them here and hope."

"They will not hold against the powers that stand against them," Lucemon said. "They are going to die."

Gennai sighed. "Yes. They will die."

* * *

Author's Notes--Finally done. Hope you like it! I'll try to get the next chapter up relatively quickly.


End file.
